I had to work my way around a couple of unexpected obstacles. The transistor I used as a "pre-amp" did not perform well enough to work on 17m. The rise and fall time was way too slow, barely being able to perform at 630m / 475kHz. Indeed, that was my target frequency, but being expert …
Results from testing the power amplifier were both uplifting and disappointing. Let's get straight to it. Let's take the bad news first. The current design use a small NPN transistor to amplify the Si5351's output signal from a unloaded 3.3V to 13.8V DC to allow the FQP13N10 mosfet to switch as intended. For frequencies higher …
...to be tested! Hah! You just got click-baited! But keep reading, though. It might get better down the line. Let's have a look at the current state of things. Right off the bat, and to be frank, no real schematics exist yet. Apart from a few sketches in my notebook, it's more or less built …
Quick update on the 630m project. I haven't had the chance to finish the power amplifier for the 630m project yet, but I stumbled across an old Aliexpress 2W broadband amplifier I bought many years ago. I hooked it up, just for fun, just to see what happened. And wow, it works! Now, I have …
The 630m transmitter part of the project is showing signs of life! Well, allow me to self moderate so we don't get all carried away. The output power is only 3 milliwatts (!) and have mainly been tested on a dummy load. I don't want to start thinking about the antenna yet, since I fear …
Don't be afraid, come on in! Settle down, and join me on this adventure on yet another project, never to be finished! History I've been playing with the idea of having a QSO on 630m for a very long time now, and it's about time I do something about it. The challenges are many, and …
The yearly tradition continues, and I had the pleasure of joining my club at this year's CQWW SSB contest last weekend. Even though we mainly had two stations on the air most of the time, there were periods where we had three, so we ended up in the multi-multi, high power, all bands category. We …
Once again the family vacation is set to Herøy, Nordland (JP66ca / IOTA EU-062) for a two week holiday at the in-laws cabin. As always I brought some radio equipment with me, and this time I'll be using an Yaesu FT-100D along with a homemade vertical antenna. Let's talk about the antenna for a bit. …
To my surprise (and probably yours too?) I recently had the privilege of being invited as one of the operators in the upcoming 3YØK DXpedition to Bouvet Island, taking place in February, 2026. This was an offer I simply could not decline. Shut up and just tell me where to sign. Understandably, a consequence of …
Here's a story about two foolishly naive operators that went to Svalbard, not knowing what they threw themselves into. Saddle up and prepare for a roller-coaster of emotions! Witness the diet that makes Dr. Now from "My 600lb life" break down in tears! Experience the pain from sleep deprivation and stress! Wait, am I selling …
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